Ztoical

Dublin Comic Con 06

December 10, 2006 on 1:18 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Warning long, rambling and not spell checked yet.

Rather interesting to be writing a report for the Dublin comic con, the con I had the least distance to travel to, right after my report for the stumptown comics fest, the con that, so far, I’ve traveled the furthest for.

This report is also different from my other con reports because I forgot my camera so no pictures [thou there are some links to pictures taken by others], I didn’t buy alot of comics [more on that in a bit] so not really alot of linking to other artists and I’m also posting this two weeks after the event which is bad for me as I do try and get these things written up as soon as possible.

So the road to the Dublin Comic Con started early in the week as I tried to sort mini comics and zines along with buttons, prints and postcards, while working all day, commuting for three hours on a bus each day and house hunting on top of all that. Thursday was the most hectic day as I managed to sort a house in kilkenny [yes no more bus!!] and get the majority of my mini comics copied.

Firday night I headed up to Dublin later then planned but I’d opted for the train rather then bus so I could use the two hour travel time to sort, staple and fold mini comics, much to the amusment of my fellow passengers. When we arrived in Dublin we were forced to sit on the train for a further 20mins while the police were called to deal with some drunk idoit at the back of the train. It was 21.30ish by the time I was back in my flat and I’d given up any idea of making the comic con table quiz that night but then noticed I’d missed a text from the Cork crew [sorry wasn’t sure what to collectively call you all] who had only just made it to Dublin and were heading to the quiz. So I left the last of my min comic construction for later and headed to the pub.

The quiz was all but over when I arrived but there was a packed room of merry comic drinkers and I proceeded to hand out 24 hour comics day badges to those who had attended the event and pretty much anyone else who walked past our table. It was then I realeased I’d spent to much time at american cons as in american the they call badges buttons, which was what i was calling them, but everyone at the pub that I was offering chocolate buttons.

After many drinks and a trip to eddie rockets I headed up home in the wee hours and collasped into bed for all of 3 hours sleep. I was up and moving, thou not really awake, at 7.30. I packed comics, buttons, postcards, stickers, posters, and at the last minute a selection of prints [I didn’t think they would sell but would make the table all colourfull and pretty] into one hold all and headed into town. On the way I picked up some bags of chocolate buttons so people wouldn’t be disappointed when I offered “Free Buttons”. My happy helper for the day texted to say his house had collasped or was on fire or something so I’d be on my own for most of the day.
I made it to the temple bar music center at 8.45, alot later then I’d planned as the doors were set to open at 9 but I arrived to a scene of organised chaos. The tables for the event were only arriving and the majority of exhibators were standing around waiting for some sort of floor plan to be annouced. I tracked down organiser John and was told that while the dealer tables would be set up in the main hall area, the small press tables had been assigned to the corridor outside. Needless to say this is one of the reasons I avoid dealer shows and try and stick to samll/alternative press shows.

I do feel bad writing anything negative about the con as it was clear to anyone attending that John worked his ass off to make the event happen and its like kicking a puppy or something to say anything bad but there were problemes with the event.

John’s thinking with placing the small press tables in the corriodor was that everyone attending the con would have to walk past the tables to make it to the dealer tables and signings. He meant well and had put some thought into the floor plan but a corridor is a corridor and not an exhibation space. How it wasn’t breaking some fire regulation I don’t know but I set up anyway and was happy to find fellow 24 hour comics day attendie and the undisputted Macdaddy of Irish comics, Bob Byrne, as my neighbour for the day. The last couple of con’s I’ve exhibated at really have been made by my neigbours and I lucked out again with Bob on one side and the happy lads from 20000 leagues on the other.

Still I must admit for the first hour or so of the con, I really wasn’t happy and was ready to just pack up and head home. The corridor had poor lightening, and an awful draft and my attempts to use Bob to block it failed as he is far to skinny and wouldn’t sit still all day.
The doors didn’t open until gone 10 and there was actually a large queue of fan boys who had come for the signing [and this is how out of thouch I am with main stream comics, I don’t actually remeber who any of the “pros” were, i know one didnt show but thats about it. I do buy mainstream titles and a number of my friends work for the big publishers as pencilers or inkers or whatever but I’ve little interest in going to a con and getting stuff signed] The queue for the signings started at the top of the corridor and ran down the whole lenght and out the door but those in the queue were the true hardcore fan boys who had little interest in small press comics, particualler irish ones. The clutched their plastic covered, board backed comics for signing and stared straight ahead, only a couple were enticted over for some free buttons [the chocolate kind].

This went on for the first hour and I spend most of my time buying DVD’s from the Sancho boys then actually taking or selling comics but after 12 the organisers re-shuffled the queues so they didnt block the corridor and the early rising hardcore fan boys were replaced with the more relaxed, sleep in till noon comic fans. It started to feel like comic fest [i hate the word con even thou I’ve used it about 50 times already in this report] People stopped by the table and talked with me for 20+ mins, I gave out free mini comics and copies of 24 hour comic and sold alot of silkscreen and etching prints along with some of the digital ones. I actually made money on this con which is something I havent done since MoCCA two years ago [granted I only had to cover my table and printing costs for this one and not flights and hotel but still]

The Cork crew finally made an appearance some time in the afternoon and one of my silkscreened jigsaws was made on one of the tables. Most of the 24 hour comics day people showed at some point during the day and all got superman space ship badges for their efforts from the day. I was interveiwd by someone from a random student union using a fisher price recorder which was pretty funny. Around 3ish a happy helper came round and asked if I’d any questions for the panel and I was delighted there would be a panel, I love con panels and find them far more interesting then signings. And what was the theme of this panal - “comics”……..needless to say I wasn’t overly impressed with the theme.

The rest of the afternoon went by fairly quickly, the corridor got crushed again with people as the signings started back up. It was hard to keep track of people and several items were stolen from my table, which I wasn’t to pleased about as I’ve never had that happen at a con before. This is the first con that I’ve attended were I didn’t walk around and check out the other tables. I never went into the main hall at all. There were no back issues that I needed and I find most of the toys/statues in Ireland to be way over priced so just buy them online or when I’m in new york. I did pick up some comics, I got Bob’s new book [meant to get two, one for myself and one for my friends son but I forgot], copies of 20000 legues Sancho comics which I must admit I’d seen in shops but by passed as I didn’t get the covers, I’m sorry I didnt pick them up sooner as they are great reads and have solid art and inks [even if they ink with sharpies!!]. One person was walking around with really mini mini comics and I traded with him but alas I can’t find the mini mini now. Also got the preveiw of Fail Comics “thorne” not much to really go one with the preveiw, mainly just alot of action shots and little plot to make me want to pick up the first issue. That was really it, given I needed to buy an extra bag to bring home stuff from portland last month I’m really suprised how little I got.

After the con I meet up the Cork lads and we headed to the foggy dew were the after con drinking was to happen. I should have dropped my bag home and come back but I knew the minute I went home I’d fall asleep and not be back. We were some of the first to arrive in the dew and then we realised we were all really hungry so we left and headed off for food at sufi’s then we had to wait for some people to join us so we went looking for some were to sit down but finding somewhere quite in dublin city center on a saturday night is a hard task. Couple of bars were already full at 7 so we ducked into Dragon and lucked out as someone was leaving one of their fantastic booths just as we arrived. We took over the booth and a couple of cocktails later I was attempting some thumbnails for my “hamster stappled gunned to a wall” comic. We had a pretty decent comic jam session under way and I was planning on staying out for the night but at 12 my body gave up - to much running around, not enough food and little sleep didn’t work and I had to admit defeat and head home. Sunday I had to get up, pack up my whole apartment and move to kilkenny……fun!
Over all the Dublin Comic Con was good but flawed - the venue was a bad choice as the layout did not suit a comic fest. Personnal I would rather have seen a focus on small press, Irish produce comics and a varrity of interesting panals [with slightly wider topics then “comics”] over dealer tables and signings but those things did bring a decent crowd in. John and his team should be proud as they did work very hard leading up to it and alll during the event and really hope they pick out the pros and cons from this year and try for bigger and better things next year.

Finally after all that ranting and nothing spelled checked heres some links to photos from the day [some of which I’m in, thanks Tree!] Fysh’s images and Tree’s images

I will scan in my hamster sketches during the week and add them.